Part 1: Looking Back at GTECH’s First 10 Years Posted on March 14, 2017 by Grounded Strategies Some highlights from GTECH’s first 10 years, from the Swiss Cheese Memory of Co-Founder and CEO Andrew Butcher Part 1: Looking Back In reflecting upon all of the glory, trials and tribulations, humor, and defining moments of the last 10 years I am awash with memories and nostalgia. The following is a series of brief snapshots of some unique moments worthy of sharing as we begin to celebrate ten years of Growth Through Energy + Community Health. I’ll never…Read More
An Open Thank You Letter to The GTECH Community: Posted on February 28, 2017 by wpengine The day has finally come. Today is my last day as a GTECH Strategies employee. While I will remain affiliated as an Emeritus Board Member - my time as a staff member is officially complete as of March 1. I find myself feeling a strange combination of nostalgia and pride. Ultimately, I am overcome with gratitude and humility. The last ten years have been a spectacular entrepreneurial journey - and I have learned, experienced, and grown more than I…Read More
GTECH is Grounded. For Good. Posted on February 22, 2017 by Grounded Strategies GTECH’s new Executive Director, Evaine K. Sing, chose the above quote to represent our mindset as we celebrate our 10 year anniversary. In a letter to GTECH’s network earlier this month, Evaine shared her thoughts on this momentous and exciting occasion. She bid farewell to our founder and CEO, Andrew Butcher, and reflected on what the past 10 years has enabled GTECH to accomplish. The last decade has given GTECH the opportunity to move forward and approach work in the…Read More
GTECH Super-Volunteer: Scott! Posted on January 27, 2017 by wpengine Building out projects like our Green Playces takes a lot of hard work. If we had to it all ourselves, they'd never get done. We love working with the users and neighbors of these spaces, but we also welcome volunteers from around Allegheny County (and beyond, if you like). One of these volunteers really stepped up for the build out of our Hill District Green Playce. He attended every one of our five build days and played a huge role in developing…Read More
Northside neighborhood trail maps now available! Posted on December 16, 2016 by Grounded Strategies Whether you live in Pittsburgh's Northside or not, it's unlikely that you've been able to explore each and every one of its 18 neighborhoods. Now you can do just that! We have trail maps, fresh off the press, for each of the Northside's neighborhoods. Over the past 2 years we've worked alongside One Northside and Northside residents to map out important community treasures and identify the best routes to explore them. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of assets! Our…Read More
ReClaim Halloween Posted on October 28, 2016 by wpengine My earliest memory is of my neighbor popping out of his front door in a full pumpkin costume when I was trick-or-treating with my parents. I don’t know if there’s a causal link here, but Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. And, sort of relatedly, my favorite color is orange (which, if we believe this study, is one of the rarest favorite colors). I’ve always looked forward to having a house with a yard that I could decorate like…Read More
Opening Green Playces: McKeesport Posted on October 27, 2016 by wpengine Last week in partnership with Trinity Church of God in Christ and Youth CAST, we successfully opened our fourth Green Playce! Every Green Playce is unique, and Green Playces: McKeesport in no exception. The City of McKeesport has a rich history and our Green Playces Team wanted to honor the tradition of ingenuity as well as the connection to steel. According to Tube City Online, "In 1872, the National Tube Works Company was founded to make steel and iron pipes…Read More
The Elephant in the Room Posted on October 19, 2016 by Grounded Strategies This post has been authored by Tacumba Turner, GTECH's newest Project Coordinator! Remembering the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference : “The Elephant in the room” By Tacumba Turner During the three day Reclaiming Vacant Properties conference I got the chance to observe an array of innovative strategies that have been implemented in recent years across the country. In reflecting on what was my first time attending the conference, there was one break-out session in particular that resonated with me. The topic was…Read More
“Growth” v. Growth – Remembering the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference, 2016 Posted on October 11, 2016 by wpengine GTECH stands for Growth Through Energy and Community Health. It goes without saying that we think growth is important. But we should clarify what we mean by growth, because not all growth is positive. In fact, when growth becomes synonymous with success and excludes other metrics, it can be downright detrimental. At the Reclaiming Vacant Properties conference (Baltimore, September 28-30), Congressman Dan Kildee referred to this phenomenon by insisting that we live in “a culture based entirely on the conflation…Read More
Opening Green Playces: Hilltop Posted on September 30, 2016 by wpengine Last week in partnership with The Brashear Association's Allentown Learning and Engagement Center, we successfully opened our third Green Playce! Every Green Playce is unique, and Green Playces: Hilltop is no exception. Nestled between two buildings, the site included a strip of pavement and a overgrown sloped hillside. We started to help design the Playce about six months ago, based on the input from the kids in ALEC's after school program. Their ideas for the space included pizza shops, roller coasters, and…Read More
10 Years & 10 Reasons for 10 Gallons of Apples Posted on September 26, 2016 by wpengine Got Apples? We need 'em! We need help from you - our amazing GTECH community! As we approach our 10 year anniversary, we are busy planning how to expand the reach and impact of our programming, continue to work with communities across Allegheny County to shape how land is used for shared benefit, and of course celebrate this important milestone. But also, for our 10 year celebration, A Few Bad Apples has offered to create a special anniversary edition GTECH cider ----…Read More
What Fun We Had! Posted on September 22, 2016 by Grounded Strategies GTECH's 2016 Fall Fundraiser was a success! Thanks to all who attended Entrepreneurial Spirits 2016 on September 17th. We had a phenomenal time - and hope you did too. We shared highlights from our 2016 programming - including Green Playces, Lots to Love, and ReClaim Ambassadors. We highlighted some awesome work being done by our friends and partners - Barley & Bines, Grassroots Green Homes, and the URA LandCare Program We learned about some innovative, delicious endeavors - A Few…Read More